Tsuname No Yūjincho
by Mia Heartnet
Summary: Tsuna has always been alone, always. The company of spirits are not the best one for a child and people certainly didn't accepted her as she was, so naturally when her father ask for her help she can't say no. But now that her mission has ended she has to go back, and that's not something she wants to do, but what is this cat talking about a book of friends? Fem27, Non-Cannon.
1. Natsume Tsuname

**HI GUYS! I'M BAAAAAAAAAAAACK!**

**And I brought a new story with me! Yay!**

**Hey guys! I'm writing this chapter while my mom is watching the Super Bowl so please excuse me whatever mistake I make in the meantime _(she screams really loud and her squeals are making my ears bleed. And I'm wearing headphones!)_**

**The updates of this story are going to be way tooooooo slow so please, please, PLEASE bear with me, to be honest I'm just going to update every now and then so... yeah... please be patient...**

**And please guys, is painfully obvious that this is a Fem Tsuna fanfic ****_(I'm a fan of gender-bender so deal with it!)_**** so please if you don't like DON'T READ! **

**If you are a little lost: This is three years after the Manga ends.**

**Rated M because of possible future lemons and/or gore and because I'm paranoid! Rate might change.**

**And NOW!**

**Disclaimer: Natsume No Yūjincho and KHR! are not mine ****_(unfortunately)_**** I just own the plot**

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><p><strong>Summary: <strong>Tsuna has always been alone, always. The company of spirits are not the best one for a child and people certainly didn't accepted her as she was, so naturally when her father ask for her help she can't say no. But now that her 'mission' has ended she has to go back _home_, and that's something she doesn't want to. Pity we can't have everything we want to, and what is the fat cat talking about a book of friends?

**Pairing: **All27 _(for now)_

**Warnings: **FemTsuna, AU, Non-Cannon.

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><p>"Blah..." talking<p>

_'Blah...'_ thinking

_"Blah..."_ dreams/flashbacks or spirits talking

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><p><strong>Published: 02-10-14<strong>

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><p><strong>Natsume Tsuname<strong>

**_- The Weird New Girl In Town -_**

**_(The Book And The Cat)_**

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><p><strong>Tsuna's PoV<strong>

I breathed hard through my nose as I ran, my breath coming out in short pants. I tried to focus my eyes on where I was going but I could help but turn my head back once every few seconds to make sure nothing followed me.

"Reiko! give it back! return it to me!" the voice of a woman screeched through the forest but no one seemed to notice.

How much I wished _I_ couldn't notice.

I kept running pushing myself and from the corner of my eye I noticed there was a path and ran towards it and just when I was stepping on it my leg was caught with something and I tripped falling flat on my face. What I didn't expected was hearing gasps of surprise from above me.

"Natsume?" a male voice asked, it was a mix between confusion and worry.

I propped myself on my forearms and looked up to the side to find two of my classmates looking at me, both of them had brown hair and eyes but one had lighter shade than the other. I thought for a second before their faces matched with I few names I knew.

Kitamoto Atsushi and Nishimura Satoru.

"Kitamoto, Nishimura" I nodded in their direction as a greeting "good afternoon" I mumbled as I lifted myself from the ground and brushed most of the dirty off my clothes.

"A-ah, g-good afternoon" the usually hyperactive Nishimura stammered dumbfounded.

"Well, excuse me" I said turning around and ready to stat running again.

"H-hey! wait, are you okay? that looked like a nasty fall" Kitamoto asked pointing at my knees. Thanks to Reborn I had the habit of wearing leggings or shorts under my skirts and I had to admit it was a very useful habit.

My black leggings that stopped a little above my ankles were ripped on my knees showing them bleeding slightly. If I hadn't been wearing them my legs would be worse, thank you Reborn.

"I'm alright" I tried to reassure them but if I was honest with myself, I looked far from _alright_.

"A-are you sure? do you need help" the one I identified as Kitamoto asked me tentatively and I shook my head.

"No thanks, I'll be fine" I smiled softly.

"You sure?" Nishimura asked and I nodded.

"Yes, I'll be going now" I said bowing my head slightly towards them in respect and one copied the gesture while the other waved but before I could even take a step I froze when an idea came into my mind and I looked at them once again "sorry to ask, but do you know of any shrine nearby? anything will do" I asked shyly, a small blush dusting my cheeks, thanks to my gift I was now socially awkward. Joy.

"Shrines?" Kitamoto asked and looked at Nishimura who just shrugged "there is an abandoned one up that hill" he said pointing to my left "but there is not much to look at, see that red spot over there? that's the..." I didn't bothered listening to the rest when a shiver ran down my spine and a burst of pain shoot through my left eye warning me of the presence of a yokai.

"Thanks guys!" I yelled at them waving my arm as I started running towards the hill they pointed "see you tomorrow at school!"

"Y-yeah!" I heard one of them yell back but I wasn't sure which one.

Ever since I was small, I would sometimes see strange things, things no one else had been able. They were probably the ones called _yokai_. They were never really friendly to me, but since I moved here there have been some who randomly pick fights with me. It's been quite problematic, especially since I'm the only one able to see them. Every time that happens I try to hide on the shrines, they keep me safe and out of the reach of the yokais.

After a couple of minutes I reached a red arch that signaled the entry of the shrine and I grinned slightly, unfortunately, nothing is easy for me and I was soon pinned to a tree, a claw-like hand squeezing the air out of my lungs.

"I got you" the guttural voice of a woman said and I lifted my head to look at a one-eyed purple yokai wearing a white kimono "I finally got you, Reiko!" she smiled creepily at me getting closer.

_'Reiko?'_ I thought, my thoughts getting clouded by the pain I was feeling.

"Now return it" she said still smiling creepily at me but the aura around her quickly changed and I closed my left eye in pain "come on, return it!" she said squeezing me harder in her hand making me wince in even more pain.

"Wait" another voice interrupted and my eye moved to look at the form standing, or floating, besides the purple yokai, this one was a male and had fox-like features. He was looking at me with closed eyes _(no idea how that worked)_ and I swore he was smirking at my misfortune "just wait a second, it would be a bother if your name is called" he said "better pull out her tongue so she can't call you" he suggested with a sadistic smile in his face and my eyes widened in fright, this one I had heard before and been victim of. Just a few weeks ago I got stitches on my tongue and no way I was getting more!

"Her tongue?" the purple yokai asked and pulled me away from the tree but without letting me go.

Acting on instinct I twisted my body as much as I could and kicked the purple yokai on her eye making her let me go and without wasting time I took the opportunity and escaped from them.

"Ow!" the purple yokai cried in pain clutching her eye.

"Fool! she got away!" the other scolded but didn't tried following me "cursed human!" he yelled at me and I winced at the words. It wasn't the first time I heard them, but they still hurt.

Why does this happen? it's not like I want to see them...

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><p><strong><em>*FLASHBACK*<em>**

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><p><em>"Ah? Tsuname-chan? what are you doing? we only need three plates" one of my many aunts said.<em>

_"Eh?" I asked confused "but we need another plate for our guest over there..." I said looking at the figure in the corner of the room waving at me with a smile on his face._

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><p><em>"The child is saying some strange things again" one of my many uncles said.<em>

_"She just wants attention, she's lonely" his wife said calmly "s__he reminds me of Takashi-kun..."_

_"You think so too?" my uncle asked putting the cigarette out of his mouth "both of them are kind of creepy" he said and I looked down at the floor from my hiding place._

_'It's not like I want to be this way...'_

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><p><em>"Look right there" I said pointing at the figure in from of me. The one eyed thing was looking and touching the flower arrangement in the corner of the room.<em>

_"Where?" another of my many aunts asked "there is nothing there Tsuname-chan"_

_"There _is_ something there! look closely!" I begged them getting closer and pointing again at the figure "look right over there! it's right over there! it's looking right at us!" I explained begging to god they would see it too "it's there! it's really there..." but they didn't, no one ever did._

_"I'm sorry, I can't see it"_

_No one except for _him_._

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><p><strong><em>*END OF FLASHBACK*<em>**

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><p>I was so lost in my memories I lost my footing while climbing the stairs and to avoid falling backwards I put my weight on my left side and fell into the grass, what I didn't notice was the seal which lead to me falling on it and breaking it.<p>

"Oh no!" I quickly tried to fix it but it was too old to do anything about it.

_"It's been broken" _a guttural voice from behind me said and I turned around quickly, a small offering box was the only thing I could see and I started sweating slightly.

_'Please don't eat me, please don't eat me'_ I cried pathetically inside my head.

_"Brat, I should thank you for freeing me from my bonds"_ the voice said and the offering box started shaking until the doors opened and smoke starting coming out _"I was just starting to get hungry"_

_'Oh crap, oh fucking crap, it's going to eat me!' _I thought frantically, too afraid to move or do anything else other than to stay put.

The smoke quickly cleared and I spotted the statue of a _maneki neko_ and I breathed in relief, thank go-

A small explosion occurred and I closed my eyes, a moment later a found myself being pinned to the ground by a very heavy mass, although not enough to hurt me placed over my stomach and I could only curse my bad luck.

"You are quite the precious human, to not to bumble at the sight of me!" a more squeaky voice said and I opened my eyes only to look at the _maneki neko_, the difference was that this one was... well, for lack of better words, alive.

I furrowed my brows and looked at the figure in front of me trying not to move to much.

"Say something" the cat said and my eyes widened slightly in surprise before they returned to normal.

"I'm used to it" I said nonchalantly.

"Imprudent brat" the cat said and then titled its face to the side "oh? aren't you Natsume Reiko?" he asked jumping off me and walking calmly around me as if inspecting me "what? you are not?" he asked after I kept quiet.

"Natsume Reiko was my grandmother's name" I explained when I remembered Taka-nii talking about her one time.

"Hmm? you're right, now that I look carefully, you look much shorter than she was, your hair and eye shades are darker than hers" the fat cat said looking me with sharp eyes "your scent is also duller, like something is masking it..."

"It should be obvious anyway, my grandmother passed away almost thirty years ago, even if she was alive she wouldn't look anywhere near my age" I frowned at the implication of me looking old.

"Reiko passed away already? she must have looked like a hag by the time she kicked it" he smirked and I wondered silently if he met her.

"I doubt it, I heard she died very young"

"Well... did she left you something called The Book of Friends?" he asked trying to look uninterested and my eyes narrowed slightly when my Hyper Intuition warned me inside my head.

"The Book of Friends?" I asked hoping he would tell me more but he didn't.

"Something she owned" he said simply, not looking at me.

"Hmm..." I hummed quietly assessing his movements and position, he seemed tense "I don't think so" I said. Technically, it wasn't a lie. Taka-nii was the one that left it to me after he died "why? is it important?" but he didn't answered, instead he opted for disappear out of thin air.

Weirdo.

Better get home soon then, wouldn't want him to find that book if it's dangerous.

I dragged myself off the dirty floor and shook off the dirt, I knew the other two yokais had already left and it was safe to return home.

Hopefully Touko-san wouldn't be home and wouldn't see me like this, don't need to worry her with something she can't help me with.

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><p>"Oh, Tsuname-chan!" the old woman greeted me with a smile on her face when I was trying to sneak inside and it quickly disappeared the moment she took notice of my appearance "what happened?" she asked me worriedly. It was a rather strange thing for me to hear those words without exasperation underlying them, it was... refreshing "look at you! are you hurt anywhere? how did this happen? is someone being mean to you?" she threw questions at me one after another.<p>

"Oh, nothing of the sort! I just slipped and fell" I lied easily "I wanted to explore the area a bit and ended up falling down a fairly steep hill, I'm really sorry for worrying you" I apologized with a sheepish smile in my face "I'll mend my clothes right away…"

"Oh, don't be silly dear!" Touko-san had already started to push me gently towards the stairs, a determined look in her eyes, her actions warming me up. It had been a long time since someone cared for me that much "you go up and get cleaned up. do you remember where the first aid kit is? I'll wash your uniform now before dinner, and it'll be ready for you tomorrow morning, if we hang it out for tonight" she started saying "I do hope it won't rain… oh, before I forget, Tsuname-chan, I just got a massive watermelon from the Matsuda family from the top of the hill so make sure to come down after you get changed for a few slices, alright?"

"Yes, ma'am! thank you very much!" I smiled brightly at her and treaded lightly up the stairs, still listening to the soft worrying of the female half of the Fujiwara couple.

It had been a little over two months since I had moved in, maybe longer. Being cursed with my eyes meant that I could often see things that others either could not or would not –_since I had learned long ago to distinguish the two early on in my life-_Humans have never been known for their embracing nature, nor their tolerance for difference.

_No._

It wasn't quite fair to pile all the blame onto my relatives even when they were sometimes mean to me, after all, they opened their homes to me, took me in as their own, and all I seemed to do was attract these…_ things_. Some were relatively harmless, only observers, but others were far more aggressive. Over time, it became common for me to randomly hear whispers of _'I'll eat you!'_ from nearby bushes. I had never stayed long enough to find out if they would actually carry through with their promises but it's not something I would change if I could. If they were solid enough to push me over a bridge into the river, or choke me like it happened earlier today they could probably carry through with the promise of eating me as well without much problem.

Besides, it's not like anyone would miss me right?

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><p>After I had changed out of my uniform, and checked that the damage wasn't too bad <em>(the legging were the only ones that suffered)<em>, I entered my room, and proceeded to search for the small box of family memorabilia that had been handed down to me after Taka-nii died. Dragging it out from the bottom of the sliding wardrobe, I began to drag things out of the old cardboard box. There were a few books and charms to keep away _ayakashi_ as well as a bat covered in them.

I pulled the bat out of the box and a small green book tied with a small rope in the side to keep the pages together came into my view. Pulling it out, I blew the dust off revealing the rough calligraphy on its cover.

"_Yuujin-cho_?" I asked myself looking at the small book "what could this book have? an address book, maybe?" but what on earth would an _ayakashi_ want with an address book?

Curiosity won over, and I began to flick through the aged pages. At first, all that seemed to jump out were pictograms, nothing that made much sense but soon I began to understand, or rather started to _see _the names.

_'Hundreds? no, there must be thousands in here… names of yokais?'_

"Hmm" I hummed quietly looking at the bat I had put on the floor besides the box and ran a hand through the charms on it, I never thought about the possibility of my grandma being able to see spirits too. I knew Taka-nii could but it never crossed my mind that maybe it was a family trait. Could it be? it sounded crazy, but what didn't these days.

"I see you've found it, The Book of Friends" the squeaky voice from not too long ago startled me. Whipping my head around so fast that I thought I must have given myself some kind neck injury, I came face-to-face with the animated _maneki_-_neko_ that I had freed earlier accidentally.

"How…?" I started.

"That is not something that should be in the hands of a human" he interrupted me before I could finish.

"What…?" I asked confused but he totally ignored me.

"Hand it OVER!" the soft, pudgy faced cat then suddenly distorted, morphing into something hideously dangerous, and although I couldn't make out the exact details, I _could_ see the massive, **SHARP** teeth being bared at me.

I acted on pure instinct. Kicking out my feet I rolled over to the side and grabbed the nearest thing available.

The charm-covered bat.

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><p>"Takako-chan! are you alright?" I heard Touko-san yelled at me worriedly from downstairs and I scrambled to my feet and to the rail if the stairs.<p>

"Yes, ma'am! I just tripped on my feet, for worrying you again!" I lied smoothly eyeing the knocked out cat in my room "are you going out?" I asked.

"Yes dear, just for some groceries" she said "you'll be alright on your own, won't you?"

"Yes, I'll be sure to look after the house for you, have a safe trip!" I assured her.

"I'll be back soon!" she yelled and a moment later the sound of the door opening and closing reached my ears.

Re-entering my room I breathed out in absolute relief and proceeded to glare at the source of my problem. The cat was still knocked out so I went back downstairs to find a plate with five watermelon slices on it. Glancing around for a smaller plateful, and failing, I grabbed it and returned upstairs to a grumpy-looking cat that was sporting a rather large bump on the head.

I shoved my unwelcome guest out of the way and began to patch up the paper screen that the _maneki-neko _had ended up ripping after landing on it. Personally, I reckoned that the screen door had won.

"Eat that and get out" I said not even looking at him.

"How cold! you dare to be so rude to this great demon-?" he started with his stupid rambling again and I cut him off with a dark glare.

"Considering the fact that I'm actually feeding you, even after you destroyed my room and tried to eat me, be glad that all I did was hit you on the head" grabbing the first aid bag again, I searched for a coolant band the size of the cat's head, hoping that it would do some good "do _youkai_ get infections from cuts? do you want any disinfectant?" I asked after a moment of silence.

"You're... treating me?" he asked in disbelief.

"Of course, it looks like the bat I used on you did more damage than I actually intended" I admitted sheepishly "I just wanted you to get out of the house" I said and was shocked momentarily at the softness of the seemingly ceramic fur and then continued to clean the tiny wound. "you said something about the Book of Friends? why do you want it?" I asked softly.

"Like I would tell you, unworthy human!" he practically snarled at me and I bit back a sigh.

"Fine, I'll just go ahead and recycle it, if it's that unimportant…" hook.

"Don't you dare! You have no idea what you'd be doing!" line.

"Well, unless you tell me of the significance, I have no way of knowing, do I?" I got you.

"Fine, ignorant hu-ow!" the _maneki__ neko_ rubbed the new sore spot that had appeared on its head, "what was that for!?"

"Every insult earns you another well-deserved bump, you have been warned, Nyanko-chan" I replied detachedly, fighting to keep a smirk off my face. Now I know how Reborn felt when he was abiding Lambo.

Oh my god, I'm a bad person!

"I am not a cat!" the _maneki neko_ yelled cutting off my train of thoughts.

"I call them as I see them" I shrugged.

"How dare you insult the greatness that is I! puny-ow!"

"Either your hearing isn't very good, or I need to put a bit more power behind these bumps on your head, Nyanko-chan" I said in a singing voice.

"You should at least bow your head to me and greet me as '_sensei'_, seeing as I will have to educate you in our world and ways" the _maneki neko_ conceded, knowing when he was beaten and my smirk widened.

Crap, I'm really becoming Reborn.

"Okay, Nyanko-sensei" I said rolling the name in my tongue only to find it sounded... right "but I honestly don't think that educating me is going to make much of a difference in whether or not I hand this thing over to you"

"Hmph! you ignorance coupled with your power is inexcusable, as well as highly dangerous" now _he_ is the one reminding me of Reborn "how you've managed to get this far along without getting killed or eaten is beyond me" well that's thanks to my HI thank you very much "you want to know about the Book of Friends?" I nodded tentatively "then we better begin with Natsume Reiko"

"My grandmother? I suppose she could see the same things as me, right? _ayakashi_ I mean"

"Indeed" he nodded "even for a human, she was a very beautiful specimen" and I care about that because...? "of course, we judge by spirit rather than by appearances"

"So that's why you mistook me for my grandmother, our... auras must be similar then"

"Correct, the taste of your spiritual power is very similar" he agreed and I nodded "but with great power comes separation from normal human society, we are far gone from the era when most humans could still see us, and those who could not would acknowledge us to explain the inexplicable" he continued "because Reiko could see us, she became someone who treaded the border between humans and spirits without knowing who she really belonged with"

"So… my grandmother was a human, but had an... aura similar to the one of _ayakashi_?"

"Yes, but no matter how much her power tasted like one of ours, she was irrevocably human, and thus, never entirely welcome in our world either" he said and I could almost detect a hint of sadness on his voice "it was that isolation perhaps that drove her to make the Book of Friends"

I glanced down at the book, resting innocently on my lap. I didn't know why, but the pages seemed to be whispering to me, some of them benevolently, some with malicious intent, whilst most was with indifference.

What stories lay behind those names?

"A name, a _True Name_, is not one to be lightly handed over, nor lightly spoken" Nyanko-sensei started talking again "what you hold there is a book filled to the brim with the real names of thousands of _yokai_, and some are significantly more powerful than others" he said eyeing the book "The Book allows you total command of all these spirits, whether they want or not"

"How… how did my grandmother managed to create it? if what you say it's true, a _True Name_ is not something to hand lightly to a human"

"How do you think? she would go around challenging ayakashi, sometimes as much as ten times a day to _yokai_ who either caught her attention, or looked powerful enough to be a challenge, not to mention fun" he explained.

"And the prize?" no way they would accept without anything in return.

"The prize for them if she lost would be whatever they demanded, and her prize was always the same: she demanded that they sign their true names on a piece of paper, and it eventually accumulated to _that" _he said pointing the book.

I stared at the book in front of her one more time. _This_ was the inheritance that my grandmother had left Taka-nii and he left me? It was grand, but also dangerous, not to mention creepy too.

Although it was a chance to pay back for twelve years worth of bullying, I knew that it was _wrong_ to hold that much power over anyone. Or anything, for that matter.

"So, I assume that that's why you want this book?"

"Of course! it's far too dangerous to be in the hands of someone who doesn't even know how to call forth its abilities!"

"And I think that it's far _more _dangerous in hands such as yours, who know exactly how to use it? I'll be keeping it in a box until I can figure out what to do with it" I said and nodded to myself, I would seal it with Sky Flames just to make sure he wouldn't try to take it.

"What? stupid hu-ow!"

Well, the cat had to learn eventually, didn't he?

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><p><strong>Sooooo... you love it? hate it? I hope I didn't made you guys wait a lot XD<strong>

**I love you guys don't forget to review! XD**

***Yokai: spirits, evil spirits, demons.**

***Ayakashi: collective name for yokai**

**And sorry for the mistakes**

**I-chan out~ ****_(or Mia, whatever you like)_**

**_Bye bye!_**


	2. The Book Of Friends

**I GUYS! I'M BAAAAAAAAAAAACK!**  
><strong>**

**And I brought a new chapter with me! Yay! _(be glad I did, or else...)_**

**The updates of this story are going to be way tooooooo slow so please, please, PLEASE bear with me, to be honest I'm just going to update every now and then so... yeah... please be patient...**

**And please guys, is painfully obvious that this is a Fem Tsuna fanfic ****_(I'm a fan of gender-bender so deal with it!)_**** so please if you don't like DON'T READ!**

**If you are a little lost: This is three years after the Manga ends.**

**Rated M because of possible future lemons and/or gore and because I'm paranoid! Rate might change.**

**And NOW!**

**Disclaimer: Natsume No Yūjincho and KHR! are not mine ****_(unfortunately)_**** I just own the plot**

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><p><strong>Summary: <strong>Tsuna has always been alone, always. The company of spirits are not the best one for a child and people certainly didn't accepted her as she was, so naturally when her father ask for her help she can't say no. But now that her 'mission' has ended she has to go back _home_, and that's something she doesn't want to. Pity we can't have everything we want to, and what is the fat cat talking about a book of friends?

**Pairing: **All27 _(for now)_

**Warnings: **FemTsuna, AU, Non-Cannon.

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><p>"Blah..." talking<p>

_'Blah...'_ thinking

_"Blah..."_ dreams/flashbacks or spirits talking

* * *

><p><strong>Published: 05-24-14<strong>

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><p><strong>The Book of Friends<strong>

**_- The Inheritance Left To Me -_**

**_(The Deal We Made)_**

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><p><em><strong>*Last Time*<strong>_

"A name, a _True Name_, is not one to be lightly handed over, nor lightly spoken" Nyanko-sensei started talking again "what you hold there is a book filled to the brim with the real names of thousands of _yokai_, and some are significantly more powerful than others" he said eyeing the book "The Book allows you total command of all these spirits, whether they want or not"

"How… how did my grandmother managed to create it? if what you say it's true, a _True Name_ is not something to hand lightly to a human"

"How do you think? she would go around challenging ayakashi, sometimes as much as ten times a day to _yokai_ who either caught her attention, or looked powerful enough to be a challenge, not to mention fun" he explained.

"And the prize?" no way they would accept without anything in return.

"The prize for them if she lost would be whatever they demanded, and her prize was always the same: she demanded that they sign their true names on a piece of paper, and it eventually accumulated to _that" _he said pointing the book.

I stared at the book in front of her one more time. _This_ was the inheritance that my grandmother had left Taka-nii and he left me? It was grand, but also dangerous, not to mention creepy too.

Although it was a chance to pay back for twelve years worth of bullying, I knew that it was _wrong_ to hold that much power over anyone. Or anything, for that matter.

"So, I assume that that's why you want this book?"

"Of course! it's far too dangerous to be in the hands of someone who doesn't even know how to call forth its abilities!"

"And I think that it's far _more _dangerous in hands such as yours, who know exactly how to use it? I'll be keeping it in a box until I can figure out what to do with it" I said and nodded to myself, I would seal it with Sky Flames just to make sure he wouldn't try to take it.

"What? stupid hu-ow!"

Well, the cat had to learn eventually, didn't he?

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><p><strong>Tsuna's PoV<strong>

"Excuse me? Is anyone home?" The sound of a visitor startled me out of my annoyance at the stubbornness of my decidedly _unwelcome_ guest and forced a couple of words out of my mouth.

"Yes, coming" I yelled, more out of habit than anything else. The voice certainly wasn't Touko-san's or anyone else's I knew from the houses around ours, and that made me immediately suspicious.

"Be careful" The cat warned seriously "If you really decide to take the 'Book of Friends' for yourself, it comes with more danger than you are prepared for, not all spirits who seek the Book are as benevolent as I am" he said and I rolled my eyes.

_'Humble much...?' _I thought wryly snorting disbelievingly. If there was one word I had never associated with my meetings with _ayakashi_, it would be 'benevolence'.

"Excuse me?" the voice called again and my Hyper Intuition flared wildly making me think for a second what to do.

"Sorry, just a second!" I called back and forced my brain to remember just where in the world I left my gloves. A few seconds later I remember and looked through the one of the boxes I had left at the very back of the closet but still in front of the box where the 'Book of Friends' had been. I put the gloves on and curled and uncurled my fingers, they felt so familiar yet so foreign at the same time. The last time I used this gloves was before da- _Iemitsu, _I reminded myself, kicked me out just after Ienobu -my little brother by a year and a half- woke up from his coma therefore leaving me jobless as it was decided I would take the title of 'Vongola Decimo' until he either woke up or died. And that, of course, lead to me being here right now...

"You're in danger, you know" the fat cat said when I started rushing out of the room making me stop for a second and look at him _(it?)_ in the eyes before I shook myself out of our staring contest and hurried downstairs to open the door curling and uncurling my fists as I did so in a nervous motion. One I was in front of the door I came to a stop and made my hand reach for the door before I froze.

_'This presence…'_ I trailed in my mind, the presence I was feeling was definitely not human. The silky, oily voice was familiar, although not entirely recognizable. I knew I had heard it before but I couldn't pint point where exactly. Cautiously, after taking a deep breath, I slid the door open revealing a yokai with a purpule kimono and white eyes that peaked through narrowed slits.

"Ah, good" he grinned maniacally and I narrowed my eyes at him forcing myself to enter little by little my Hyper Dying Will Mode "You came back after all, Reiko" I didn't need any further encouragement. I slammed the door shut, not bothering to lock it as I knew he would just going to knock down the door otherwise, and ran back up the stairs as fast as I could. Grabbed the Book, the cat that had attached itself to the Book _(and thus to me)_, along the baseball bat covered in charms and jumped out of the window.

* * *

><p><strong>Normal PoV<strong>

If you asked her later, Tsuname would try and excuse her foolishness by saying that it really_ had_ been a long day. With two attempts at her life, and learning that she had inherited her burden from her cousin and grandmother, who had, coincidentally, amassed what was effectively a demon army and then dumped the key to it all in her grandkids' hands. She really shouldn't be blamed for how she had stupidly thought that the window would be free from spirits...

Twisting around with more force than was healthy on her spine, she barely managed to avoid the massive purple claw that came at her from the left side of the window and immediately jumped from the second floor and into the first one making sure soften her landing by bending her knees the moment her feet touched the ground and rolling forwards. Scrambling back to her feet, she grabbed the bat and Book -thus the cat too- and dashed to the forest right behind the house not bothering to turn around to see if the _ayakashi_ were following her or not.

"See? I told you that not all spirits were as benevolent as I am" the cat decided to open his mouth the moment both of them knew they weren't been followed.

"Nyanko-sensei, do me a favour, okay?" Tsuname asked sweetly with a small smile planted on her face "Shut up!" she glared fiercely looking around for possible threats, so far they were safe.

"Have you at least warded your surrounding?" the _ayakashi_ asked and Tsuname looked at him like he just sprouted another head.

"...How do I do that?" she asked confusedly. All this years running away from them and she could just have warded her surroundings... perfect... just perfect...

The incredulous look on her new 'sensei's' face was all she managed to see before her HI flared again and she jumped just in time to avoid a tackle from the one-eyed purple youkai who was glaring at her.

"Reiko... why won't you give it back...?" the female yokai growled at the brunette, but Tsuname didn't bother to stick around for the continuation. Keeping a tight grip on the Book that seemed to be the root of all her current problems, she leaped across the small clearing, and the moment the small teenager moved again to avoid her, she accidentally threw herself off a cliff. It was sad to admit, but she had long developed some immunity to high jumps due to the constant bullying she was victim of from almost everyone. Not to mention, the training she had been put through.

"You fool! You can command the wind sprites and well as manifest your internal power but can't even make simplest wards? It's like you're doing everything in reverse, simpleton!" she heard a squeaky voice yell at her when she scrambled back to her feet once again and started running deeper into the forest.

"Sensei? You're still there?" she asked in between breaths.

"Of course! that Book will belong to me when you die, and I'm going to be the one who eats you, no one else" the cat humped with a tone of finality.

"When did we agree on my will?" Tsuname nearly shrieked at the implication. She wasn't going to die of natural causes, she was going to die in the stomach on an _ayakashi_!

_'Youkai logic'_ she rolled her eyes with a huff, not something she expected, nor wanted, to become acquainted with.

The fox-like spirit was, unfortunately much smarter than the purple, one-eyed female yokai, and had anticipated her escape from the other spirit. Twisting to avoid crossing paths with the fox-eyed _youkai_, Tsuname was rather shocked when the pig-cat swerved to keep up with her. Unconsciously, her hands tightened around the Book and bat once again, holding them as close to her as possible.

Tsuname continued running when she felt something attaching to her back.

"Nyanko-sensei!" she yelled relieved when she saw him.

"Where are you going?" the cat asked the girl.

"Where?!" she sputtered in shock, what did the stupid cat thought she was doing, playing hide-fucking-seek with those _ayakashi_?

"Hide behind those bushes" he instructed and she followed the order obediently. Both youkai went past her and got lost further into the woods.

"Jeez..." the panted exhausted.

"You should understand now, that is not something a human should have" the cat said besides her "So... can I have it?" he smiled at her but she payed him no heed.

"No" she deadpanned.

"What?! Why not?" he asked shocked at her response, he had hoped she had gotten quite the scare and decided she didn't want anything to do with the Book of Friends "Do you, a simple human, intend to rule over youkai?" he asked more curious than angry.

"Yeah, right..." her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Then what? What other purpose could you have for it?" he asked, he couldn't think of anything else.

"Thant's none of your business Nyanko-sensei" The overweighted cat morphed again, smoke billowing out from its smaller form, and proceeded to pin Natsume to the ground, and slowly began to increase the pressure on her chest, making her wince in pain.

_"I had planned to wait until you changed your mind but..."_ he added more pressure in her chest and Tsuname gasped for air _"Give me the Book of Friends!"_ he demanded but Tsuname just looked at him with narrowed amber eyes.

"No" she gritted "You are going to use it for something freaky, aren't you sensei?" she asked and her HI tingled in response, neither denying or agreeing with her theory.

_"Naturally"_ the ayakashi snorted _"and it will be so much fun"_ Tsuname could almost hear the smirk in his voice.

"That's terrible" the teenager wheezed thinking about the Varia and Xanxus, Nyanko-sensei reminded her of them when they were fighting for the Vongola rings.

_"Hurry up and hand it over. If you don't I'll crush you"_ he threatened. Tsuname felt something _else _inside her breaking around her navel. Well, crumbling, rather than breaking. Struggling for breath now, she forced one arm free of the giant paw that seemed intent on crushing her ribcage, and mustered her remaining strength.

"Let go, you pig-cat!" And, with that, she socked him one on the nose. Gathering all of her strength and some of her flames into her fist. The impact alone was enough to knock the paw off her, allowing oxygen back into her lungs, and a puff of smoke later, the _youkai_ was back in its _maneki neko_ form, nursing its nose while growling at her and looking incredulous at the same time if it was possible.

_"You… you hit me!"_ he sputtered in shock.

"Nyanko-sensei, I've hit you at least three times since we first met, and you chose _now_ to be surprised?" she asked equally shocked "And I thought I was slow…" gripping the Book of Friends even tighter than before, keeping her body as a shield between it and the _youkai_ who desired it, she asked again "This... the Book of Friends is my grandmother's precious legacy" The brunette started "It's true that she didn't get along with most people, hardly anyone remembers her, and she died very young" she continued "So I think that I, as her last living relative who can see spirits, should keep the last thing she left. Keep it close to me" The cat became oddly silent. For a longer period of time than she had experienced since making its acquaintance. "Say, Nyanko sensei, if I wanted to give back a name what should I do?"

_"Give back?"_ he asked.

"The names" she nodded in affirmation "I want to return them to the _youkai_" Nyanko-sensei's enormous head snapped in her direction, eyes wide.

_"Don't you fool"_ he snapped _"What a waste..."_ the big _ayakashi_ shook his head _"Not to mention, a number of them are incredibly violent. You would never survive"_ he warned.

"I'll be fine" she smiled bitterly at him remembering all the times she almost died when she was involved with the Vongola and the Mafia in general. "I have you with me, sensei" Tsuname smiled at the big ayakashi. A true smile since a long time ago. "I want to take care of what she left behind, my grandmother I mean. If I die in the process... then you can have the Book of Friends" she promised. "Please help me do this, sensei"

_"Natsume... Once you are gone, I can take the Book of Friends, then?"_ he asked warily, almost afraid it was a joke.

"Yeah, you can" she nodded in agreement, a small smile playing in her lips.

_"Very well"_ he said after a few seconds of silence _"I will see this to the end"_

"Thank you..."

* * *

><p>"Curse you Reiko" the fox <em>youkai<em> muttered under his breath looking with his eyes for the human girl "I'll rip your tongue out!" he promised. He continued his search and a few minutes later he came across another _youkai_, who was clearly bigger and stronger than him "You..."

"You want the Book of Friends, don't you?" the _ayakashi_ asked.

"Hmph! If I had it, I could rule this entire area" the fox _youkai_ smirked. "Isn't that what you desire, Madara?"

"Don't compare me to you, low-ranked scum" Madara sneered.

"Why, you!" the fox _youkai_, feeling insulted charged towards the bigger _ayakashi_ determined to make him pay.

Meanwhile, Tsuname who was watching the exchange from her hiding place a few meters away while hiding under her mist flames decided it was time to leave and time the other youkai to give her name back.

_"Tell me that I belong to you, look back and..."_ The teenager jolted in shock when she heard her phone ringing but decided to ignore it in favor of keep on running. When the phone didn't shut up after a few minutes she decided it was better to answer it.

"H-hello?" She manage to stutter a greeting, but was met with silence "hello?" she tried again after gasping for air.

"...Tsuna?" a voice she knew too well but never thought would hear again asked.

"Y-Yamamoto?" Tsuname asked wide eyed reducing her pace on the flightless due to the surprise she was feeling.

"Tsuna? Is it really you?" She heard him breath deeply and she nodded unconsciously before she froze for a second, when she realized what was going on.

"W-what...? She stuttered confused, he wasn't supposed to contact her, none of there were. So why was he?

"REIKO!" A shrill voice yelled and she flinched and returned to run.

"Shit!" Tsuname cursed.

"Tsuna? Are you okay?" Yamamoto asked, suddenly frantically after he heard the distress in her voice.

"Shut up!" She yelled without a second thought and the line fell silent.

The brunette continued her hasty run, knowing that she had to time things accordingly unless she wanted to be eaten, Tsuname let the book fall open within her hands, and did as Nyanko-sensei had bade her do.

_"First, visualize their form and open the book, then concentrate"_ She remembered the ayakashi explaining. Tsuname could also feel the other _youkai_ reaching for her from behind her.

**"_Thou who calls thyself my guardian, r__eveal thy name to me!" _**The book gave a shudder, as if it was shaking off a long sleep, and grudgingly began to turn its pages.

_"Next, you need Reiko's breath and saliva. As her blood relative, your own should suffice. Tear out the contract page ad put it in your mouth, between your lips, and clap your hands together, then concentrate..." _I remembered the cat saying _"Then blow..."_

_'There!'_ I mentally yelled. One page stood to attention, apart from the other pages of the book. Being careful not to touch the part of the paper with the name inked in, Tsuname ripped the page free from the bindings, and placed the paper between her lips. Tsuname then breathed out, slowly, evenly, and surprisingly, the name written in the paper flew out flew towards the purple _youkai_.

Even as she did so, she felt the crumbling that had started in her navel earlier overtake her entire body, and _shattered_ rather than crumbled, shaking her very core.

* * *

><p><em>I'm so lonely...<em>

_So hungry..._

_For so long..._

_The offerings stopped so long ago... but I cannot bring myself to eat humans..._

_The purple youkai watched silently as a woman left an offering for her and then left. Just when she was about to reach of the bun, another hand intercepted hers and took it before guiding it to a human mouth and began to be eaten._

_"Ah! My yeast bun!" she cried._

_"I've had better" the human -a girl perhaps?- said with a disappointed sigh._

_"What do you think you are doing human?!" she glared "How greedy!"_

_"If you want good ones, I recommend the ones they make at Nanatsujiya" was the only thing the human said._

_"Nanatsuji?" she asked confused._

"_Tell you what, if you beat me in a duel, I'll buy you some" the human girl said _"If you lose, then you have to become my underling. That sound like a deal?"__

_"Y-you... really can see me?" asked the female youkai still a little puzzled out by what was happening._

_"Yeah, I can see you" the human nodded._

_"But... aren't you scared of me?" Why wasn't she?_

_"Not at all!" the human smiled proudly "Because I'm very strong!"_

_"Eh?" the youkai still couldn't believe what was happening._

_"Well, here I go!"_

_"Eh...?"_

**_PWACK!_**

"_Ow!" That had definitely hurt... even more than the hunger._

"_Okay, I win" the human said nonchalantly "now write your name down!" she demanded giving her a patch of paper._

"_This hardly seems fair..." the youkai grumbled under her breath but wrote her name down on the paper nonetheless._

"_A win is a win, no matter if it's one-sided or not!" The human snapped back._

_"Here..."_

_"Great! now you are my servant!" _

_"Servant?" The human (girl?) giggled with a smile on her face. A smile that didn't quite touch her eyes. And her face didn't seem… quite right. Hishigaki may not have observed humans very often, but she was sure that they shouldn't have so many purple and red blotches on their faces. Reaching over to touch one of the marks gently._

_"What?" The human girl asked confused._

_"What happened to your cheek?" The youkai asked. "_Does it hurt?" __

"_Oh, these? Don't worry about it. Some of the neighborhood kids were throwing stones at me and I didn't have anything on me to deflect them" Before Hishigaki could ask more, the human girl had snatched her name, and placed it roughly in between two thicker pieces of parchment. "You've got a lovely name, Hishigaki. Better than mine, anyway. If I call for you, you'd better come quickly!"_

_"And what is your name?" Hishigaki asked._

__"Reiko. My name is Natsume Reiko" the human girl asked.__

__"Reiko?" Hishigaki asked.__

__"Well, see you later!" and with nothing more she left.__

__"Reiko?" neither with rain.__

__"Reiko?" or sun.__

__"Reiko?" or even snow she appeared.__

_When will she call me?_

_Seasons come and go._

_When will she call?_

_Another spring. Another summer. More autumns. Another winter._

_Why don't you call me?_

_The loneliness. It was unbearable before. Now it's crushing._

_If you won't call me… then why did you take my name in the first place?!_

_So painful… so much more painful… return it… RETURN IT!_

_I've waited for so long, but you never called it!_

* * *

><p>"Hishi...gaki..." The name left Tsuname's lips as she gasped and returned to consciousness. She felt, rather than saw, a giant fur-covered paw supporting her weight off the ground. Bringing her eyes up to meet the demon's, she felt tear trails down her face, as she came out of the memories of Hishigaki.<p>

"Reiko? Is... this okay?" Hishigaki asked as her body started dissolving in a white light "Will you be alright by yourself?"

"I'm sorry, Hishigaki, I'm not Reiko. I'm her granddaughter." Tsuname smiled, the gentle concern rolling off the _ayakashi _touching her somewhere deep, making the tears fall even more. "But I don't think she was ever really lonely. Not when there was someone as kind as you looking out for her"

"Will you... be alright?"

"Yes." Glancing behind her, she felt the reassuring presence of Nyanko-sensei in the form a giant, white-furred beast that definitely _wasn't _a cat. "I think I will" A gentle hand came to rest upon her cheek, wiping away the tears that had made a road down her face. "Do not cry, child. I will return" Hishigaki tried to reassure her.

"I know. But I don't know if I will be here when you do" Hishigaki chose not to reply to this last statement, but Tsuname knew that she had heard it. It was the painful truth. It was not meant for a human and an _ayakashi_ to walk within the same time, and a single lifetime of a human was akin to an afternoon nap for the unearthly. It was more than likely that this was the only time the two of them would meet in this lifetime.

"Thank you, Hishigaki. My grandmother's kindhearted friend..."

* * *

><p><strong>Uffffff! I'm finally done! after so long!<strong>

**Sooooo... you love it? hate it? I hope I didn't made you guys wait a lot XD**

**I love you guys don't forget to review! XD**

**And sorry for the mistakes**

**I-chan out~ ****_(or Mia, whatever you like)_**

**_Bye bye!_**


	3. STORIES BEING STOLEN

Dear everyone,

For all of you who were waiting for another update of this story, it is my deepest regret to tell you that it is not, and until further notice, I will not be posting any more chapters.

_Why? _

The reason for this note is because it has come to my attention that there are several fake websites that are mirrors of this one, and literally, ALL FANFICS from FFnet are being stolen.

All stories, profiles, absolutely everything has been stolen and copied onto the following websites (just get rid of the spaces):

* thebuystock . org

* talkfictions . com

* fictionavenue . org

* thanfiction . org

* hmofiction . org

They are making profit out of our stories with advertisements. The are taking away what we made and saying it's theirs, and that despicable. This is called spamdexing, please report them. Theft of this magnitude, literally millions of stories, should not go unpunished.

My fellow writers, beta readers, fans, and everyone who owns a FFnet account, please listen to my plea:

**DO NOT TRY TO LOG INTO ANY SITE THAT LOOKS LIKE FFNET BUT IT'S NOT, WE DON'T KNOW IF THEY COULD ALSO STEAL OUR EMAILS AND PASSWORDS! **

...

**HOW TO REPORT **

1- Go here:_ google(. com) /webmasters /tools/spamreportform?hl=en_ (without spaces and parenthesis)

2- Put in the name of the website (one report each)

3- Write in additional details: This is a spamdexing mirror site to fan fiction . net (no spaces) and has stolen my profiles and intellectual property.

4- Click "I am not a robot" and then "Report webspam"

5- Report more by clicking the link on: Go back to_ google(. com) /webmasters /tools/spamreportform?hl=en_ (without spaces and parenthesis)

Writers and fanfic readers should report these websites that profit off our hard work. Stop plagiarism and art theft!  
>Boost! I looked into this website, and my stories are there. Let's get these bastards. Check your work. I'm very sorry for disappointing you all, but hopefully all of this will be over soon and we can all go back to write and read fanfics without fearing works being stolen.<p>

_**Mia Heartnet.**_


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